By IANS, [RxPG] Male drivers who are obese are more likely to die in a car crash, suggests a US study.

Researchers of the Medical College of Wisconsin said the deaths could be due to the drivers' greater momentum in a crash and because of the effect obesity has on the body's ability to recover.

The researchers looked at information on 22,000 people from a nationwide crash data collection programme sponsored by the US Department of Transportation.

They found that drivers who had a body mass index that was either higher than 35 or lower than 22 had a "significantly increased risk of death" compared to those with an intermediate body mass index (BMI), reported the online edition of BBC News.

While the fatality rate for motor vehicle crashes was 0.87 percent for male drivers, it was 0.43 percent for women drivers, the researchers found.